Scratch Programming for Kids: Learn the Basics

By David Dodge, Co-Founder, CEO and Director of CodaKid. Last updated: October 13, 2026.

Is your child asking how video games are made? Scratch is one of the easiest ways to find out. Instead of typing code, kids drag and drop blocks to make characters move, talk, score points and react to the keyboard. In their first session, kids can have something on screen they made themselves.

This guide explains what Scratch is, walks through the Scratch editor, builds a first project step by step, and shares project ideas. It also covers when a child is ready to move from Scratch to a typed language like Python.

What is Programming?

Programming is giving a computer step-by-step instructions to finish a task. That can be as small as showing a number on the screen or as big as a full video game. The instructions are written in a programming language, and most languages share the same core ideas: steps in order, loops that repeat, and decisions like “if this happens, do that.” Once a child learns those ideas in one language, the next language comes much faster.

Block Coding

Block coding, also called drag-and-drop programming, turns each instruction into a colored block. Kids snap blocks together like puzzle pieces, and the shapes only fit where they make sense. Nothing can be misspelled, so kids can focus on the logic. Scratch is the best-known block coding language, and it is a common first step before typed languages like Python or JavaScript.

What is Scratch programming used for?

Kids use Scratch to make interactive stories, games, animations, quizzes and music projects. Because every project can be shared on the Scratch website, kids can also play what other kids made, see how it works, and “remix” it into their own version. That mix of making, sharing and remixing is a big part of why kids keep coming back.

Scratch or ScratchJr: which one is right for your child?

ScratchJr is a free app made for ages 5 to 7, with simpler picture blocks and fewer choices. Scratch is the full version, free in any web browser, with far more blocks and the online community. A simple rule: if your child is still learning to read, start with ScratchJr. If they can read short instructions on their own, go straight to Scratch. Our ScratchJr review covers the app in detail.

What is the Scratch Programming Community?

The Scratch website is more than an editor. The Scratch Foundation calls it the world’s largest creative learning community, and says 200 million kids have created on it for free. Kids can publish projects, play and comment on other kids’ work, and remix any shared project to see how it was built.

Remixing is one of the best learning tools on the site. A child who finds a game they love can open it, look at the code behind it, change something, and see what happens.

Introduction to the Scratch Interface

When you open the Scratch editor, you will see three tabs across the top left: Code, Costumes and Sounds. Most of the work happens in the Code tab, which has four main areas.

Block Palette

The Block Palette runs down the left side. It holds every block, sorted into nine color-coded categories:

• Motion: move, turn and position sprites.
• Looks: change costumes, show speech bubbles, resize.
• Sound: play sounds and change volume.
• Events: start scripts, like “when green flag clicked” or “when space key pressed.”
• Control: loops like “forever” and “repeat,” decisions like “if,” and waiting.
• Sensing: check things, like whether a sprite is touching something or a key is pressed.
• Operators: math, random numbers and comparisons.
• Variables: store and change values, like a score or a timer, plus lists.
• My Blocks: make your own custom blocks.

The Extensions button in the bottom-left corner adds extra block sets, like Pen for drawing and Music for instruments.

Code Area

The Code Area is the big space in the middle. Kids drag blocks here and snap them together into scripts. Each sprite has its own scripts, so the code you see always belongs to whichever sprite is selected.

Stage

The Stage, in the top right, is where the project comes to life. It is 480 pixels wide and 360 pixels tall. Above it are the green flag, which starts the project, and the red stop sign, which stops it. The stage can have its own backdrops, sounds and scripts, just like a sprite.

Sprites

Sprites are the characters and objects in a project: the cat, a ball, a spaceship. They are listed in the Sprite Pane below the Stage, along with the selected sprite’s name, position (x and y), size and direction, which you can change directly. To add a sprite, use the sprite button in the corner of the Sprite Pane: kids can choose one from the library, paint their own, pick a surprise sprite or upload an image. See our guide to Scratch sprites for more.

Start Coding! Your First Scratch Project

Here is a first project that takes about ten minutes: a cat that chases your mouse pointer and says “Got you!” when it catches it.

1. Open the Scratch editor at scratch.mit.edu and click Create. The cat sprite is already there.
2. From Events, drag “when green flag clicked” into the Code Area.
3. From Control, snap a “forever” block underneath it.
4. From Motion, put “point towards mouse-pointer” inside the forever block, then “move 10 steps” under it.
5. Still inside the forever block, add an “if” block from Control. From Sensing, drop “touching mouse-pointer?” into its slot. Inside the if, add “say Hello! for 2 seconds” from Looks and change the text to “Got you!”
6. Click the green flag and move your mouse around the Stage.

That tiny project uses four of the biggest ideas in all of programming: an event (the green flag), a loop (forever), a condition (if touching) and motion. Now let your child experiment. What happens if you change 10 steps to 3? To 20? That is debugging and design, and it is how real programmers work.

Paint Editor

The Costumes tab opens the Paint Editor, where kids draw or edit a sprite’s costumes. It has tools for selecting, reshaping, painting, erasing, filling and adding text, lines, circles and rectangles. Switching between costumes in code is how kids make a character look like it is walking or flapping its wings.

Sound Editor

The Sounds tab opens the Sound Editor. Kids can record their own sounds or pick from the library, then cut them down and add effects like faster, slower, louder and softer.

Scratch Project Ideas for Kids

Once the first project works, try one of these. Each one teaches a new idea.

• A maze game: arrow keys move a sprite, and touching a wall sends it back to the start. Teaches key events and conditions.
• A catch game: catch falling objects to score points. Teaches variables, random numbers and cloning.
• An animated story: two characters talk and move across different backdrops. Teaches timing and broadcasts.
• A quiz: ask questions, check answers and keep score. Teaches the “ask” block, comparisons and variables.
• A flappy-style game: tap to fly through gaps. Teaches gravity, loops and collision checks.

For more inspiration, see the best Scratch games. CodaKid’s self-paced courses build several of these step by step, including The Great Scratch Maze, Scratch Catch and Scratch Flappy Bat.

Benefits of Scratch Programming

Scratch Programming Promotes Creativity

Scratch starts with a blank stage, not a worksheet. Kids decide what to make, draw their own characters and record their own sounds. In a large review of 105 studies, the biggest gains from learning to code showed up in creative thinking, math skills and metacognition (Scherer et al., 2019).

Improves Thinking and Problem Solving

Every Scratch project is a puzzle: break the big idea into small steps, build them, test, and fix what breaks. Research on block coding tools like Scratch found an upper-medium effect on learning, and a bigger effect when lessons were built around projects and ran longer than a month (Yu et al., 2024). Those studies looked at block coding in general, not one specific program.

It’s Easy to Understand

Blocks only snap together in ways that make sense, and there is no syntax to memorize. That removes the most common reason beginners quit: a program that will not run because of one missing symbol.

When Is Your Child Ready to Move from Scratch to Python?

Scratch can take kids a long way, but most eventually want to do things blocks make awkward. Signs your child is ready for a typed language:

• They build projects without step-by-step instructions.
• Their projects use variables, loops and conditions without help.
• They can type comfortably.
• They ask how “real” games or apps are made.

For many kids that happens somewhere between 9 and 12. Python is the usual next step. There is no need to rush: research comparing block and typed coding found only a small difference that was not statistically significant (Xu et al., 2019).

Learn Scratch with CodaKid

Our course lead, Matthew Stinson, co-wrote the book Scratch Coding for Beginners. Kids can learn Scratch with CodaKid three ways:

• Self-paced courses (ages 6 to 9): 10 game-building courses, including Scratch Catch, The Great Scratch Maze, Scratch Fruit Slash, Scratch Archery, Scratch Hockey, Scratch Flappy Bat, Scratch Infinite Jumper, Scratch Slither and Scratch Dino Defense, included in the $29 a month All Access plan. First 14 days free.
• Live small-group class: Scratch Coding Level 1 (ages 6 to 9), where kids build games, animations, digital art and interactive stories with a teacher.
• Camp: Scratch Sports Arcade (ages 7 to 11), a live 5-day camp where kids code an infinite jumper, archery, hockey and basketball.

See all Scratch coding classes for kids.

Try Scratch Courses Free for 14 Days

Scratch Programming FAQ

Is Scratch free?

Yes. Scratch is free for everyone, in any web browser, and so is the ScratchJr app. The Scratch Foundation, a nonprofit, runs it with support from donors.

What age is Scratch for?

Many kids start Scratch around 6 to 8, once they can read short instructions. Younger kids can start with the free ScratchJr app, which is made for ages 5 to 7. CodaKid’s Scratch courses are for ages 6 to 9.

Is Scratch real coding?

Yes. Scratch uses the same core ideas as typed languages: events, loops, conditions, variables and functions (called My Blocks). The difference is that kids snap blocks together instead of typing, which removes spelling and syntax errors.

Can you use Scratch on a tablet?

Scratch 3.0 runs in a web browser without Flash, so projects can be viewed and edited on many mobile devices. A computer with a mouse is still easier for bigger projects. ScratchJr is built for tablets.

How long does it take to learn Scratch?

Kids can finish a first project in one sitting. How fast they progress after that depends mostly on how often they build. Short, regular sessions work better than an occasional long one.

What comes after Scratch?

Most kids move to a typed language next. Python is the most common choice. Kids who love a specific game can move to Lua in Roblox Studio or Java for Minecraft mods.

Sources

• Scherer, R., et al. (2019). The cognitive benefits of learning computer programming: A meta-analysis of transfer effects. Journal of Educational Psychology. doi.org/10.1037/edu0000314
• Xu, Z., Ritzhaupt, A. D., Tian, F., and Umapathy, K. (2019). Block-based versus text-based programming environments on novice student learning outcomes: A meta-analysis. Computer Science Education. doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2019.1565233
• Yu, Q., Yu, K., and Li, B. (2024). Effects of block-based visual programming on K-12 students’ learning outcomes. Journal of Educational Computing Research. doi.org/10.1177/07356331241293163